Smell of matches

[Kracnen]

I live in a small apartment block with 3 apartments. I live on the upper floor. The middle neighbours are on holiday. An elderly couple live on the ground floor.

It smells very strongly of just lit matches in the stairwell. I checked with elderly neighbours that they are ok, and they cannot smell it inside their flat. They haven’t been lighting matches. It smells strongest at the top of the stairs.

Any ideas what it could be? I’m worried there is an electrical fault.

Could it possibly be a gas leak? We smelled one from our neighbours once that, due to the time of year and how close we were standing to a flowering hedge, smelled exactly like pickled onions! Glad we reported although I felt silly on the phone describing the smell!

Good call, but we don’t have gas in our village. Unless it could be a gas canister for a bbq or camping that is leaking?

Scientist and general electronics nerd DH says it may be electrical. He said the check the light fittings and bulbs as that is the most likely place to have an issue in a communal stairwell.

Thank you @MrTiddlesTheCat

Given current weather conditions in many parts of the UK, the drains will be overflowing. What you maybe smelling is the gas arising from overfull drains full of rainwater and what we all flush. If you go outside and look for some vents in the road, you will get some appreciation of how far the water is up.

Have the middle neighbours left a cat in the flat ? Old cat pee smells of sulphur